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It’s been a rough couple of months. I’ve been out of town almost every weekend since the beginning of November, and sadly can’t remember the last time I went to my beloved farmers market.

Though the traveling was fun, I couldn’t be happier to ring in 2012 with a fresh start. I don’t diet or “cleanse” (I’ve yet to hear a scientific explanation of what that actually means), but I’m taking the first two weeks of January to eat extra healthy and recalibrate back to my regular happy self.

I have just three simple rules I’ll be sticking to. Of course my emphasis will be on eating lots of healthy vegetables, fish, legumes, pastured meats, fermented foods, etc. But to really get back on track I’ll also be temporarily eliminating the three most inflammatory (and weight loss unfriendly) foods.

Summer Tomato’s Health Recalibration

1. No sugar.

Everyone knows sugar is bad for you. And although I believe there’s a place for small amounts of it in a healthy diet, I’ll be living without any added sugar for the next two weeks.

If you plan on following along, I’d also recommend avoiding sugar substitutes. Calorie-free sweeteners have never been shown to assist with weight loss, and you aren’t doing yourself any favors by keeping your palate craving overly sweet foods. If you’re desperate for a little treat during this time, fruit is your best bet.

2. No wheat.

I typically limit my bread consumption to about once or twice a week, but for the next two weeks I’ll be going without it completely. Wheat is incredibly inflammatory and is associated with a huge range of health problems. Eliminating wheat and gluten, wheat’s main protein, for awhile gives your body a chance to heal from the damage done over the holiday season.

If you suspect you might be sensitive to gluten, two weeks might not be enough of a break to get you back to feeling normal. Four to eight weeks without it is what is typically recommended to test for sensitivity, so feel free to extend past two weeks if you’re troubleshooting health problems like fatigue, depression, arthritis or digestive issues.

I recommend avoiding all processed flours during recalibration, but you carbohydrate lovers still have lots of delicious options to get you through. I’ll be relying on rice, quinoa, potatoes and legumes to keep me from being a cranky low-carber. If you absolutely must eat pasta during the recalibration, there are plenty of good gluten-free options. Quinoa pastas aren’t too bad, and rice noodles are also usually gluten-free.

Keep in mind if you want to go fully gluten-free you should also skip barley. Oats don’t contain wheat gluten but are often contaminated during processing. Gluten-free oats are available at some stores.

Lastly, remember that soy sauce is made with wheat and contains gluten. A gluten-free option called tamari is an excellent substitute that basically tastes the same.

3. No dairy.

This one will be the hardest for me since cheese, yogurt and the occasional half-and-half do make regular appearances in my diet. However, dairy can make insulin regulation difficult and it can help to cut it out for a couple weeks.

Eliminating dairy products can help with other problems as well. Cow’s milk is the only food that is directly linked to acne. It can also be an inhibitor to weight loss, even in very small amounts. Like gluten, dairy can also trigger inappropriate immune responses, making it particularly problematic for people with rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases.

For milk lovers, I recommend almond milk or coconut milk as tasty substitutes, just be sure you get the unsweetened varieties. Here’s why I don’t usually drink soy milk.

4. Alcohol

I love me a glass of nice wine or a well-crafted artisan cocktail. I drink alcohol fairly regularly, and there is a good amount of evidence that it protects against coronary heart disease. Though there have been reports about alcohol increasing cancer incidence, the risks are typically mitigated by a healthy diet that contains plenty of folic acid.

So why do I recommend a two week break from the sauce? For starters, alcohol lowers your inhibition and makes it much harder to stick to the recalibration. It’s hard enough, you don’t need any extra excuses. The more important reason, however, is alcohol’s effect on your liver. Like fructose (the sugar molecule that is processed by the liver), alcohol promotes body fat accumulation and insulin resistance. For recalibration to be effective, you’ll need to be a teetotaler for at least two weeks. Sorry.

I started on January 1, but Monday January 2, is probably a more reasonable start date for most of you.

91 Responses to “Foodist Recalibration”

I’ve been near-vegan for many years, but I’ve always used flour tortillas with my vegan wraps. This article finally pushed me over the edge to try corn or otherwise gluten-free tortillas. And I have a feeling that by the end of the month, I’ll be feeling even clearer than I do now.

I didn’t know milk had now been directly linked with acne. I know personally, that once I cut out milk from my diet 5+ years ago, my allergies *dramatically* reduced. It may sound weird, but I noticed it was connected to pet allergies, too. I can be around cats now. Yay!

Lettuce makes a fantastic “wrap” for sandwiches. I have trouble digesting all grains, so I use butter lettuce in place of tortillas. They don’t make big wraps, but several small ones are perfect for lunch.

OK, I’m with you…with one exception. I just stocked up on yogurt for the week as I normally have yogurt for breakfast. Thus, I can eliminate all other dairy, but will need to eat the yogurt this week and should be done with it by 1/8, maybe sooner (I dont recall exactly how many I bought). Its the good Greek style yogurt, so hopefully that’s not as bad for me. I didn’t really know dairy was harmful to a diet, frankly.

Would you mind posting what you DO plan to eat for breakfast? I’m trying to get my head around no yogurt, no granola, no toast or cheese…what the heck else is there to eat? I need a bit of protein or else I get somewhat shaky by mid-morning. An egg and fruit, maybe?

I wouldn’t say it is harmful (I actually think hard cheese is uniquely healthy), but it is inflammatory, especially in the gut and for people with autoimmune issues (many don’t know they have them). But this is just for 2 weeks to limit inflammation as much as possible.

I will still be eating oats/muesli for breakfast, along with eggs, rice, quinoa, nuts, fruit, etc.

I mentioned in the post that oats are gluten-free but are often contaminated in processing. Certified gluten-free oats are available but cost a lot more. Personally I’m not going that nuts with my gluten and am still eating warm muesli in the morning. If your muesli contains barley it cannot be gluten-free.

I’m in! This is very close to the slow-carb diet and I’ve been wanting to get back to it. Have been holiday eating…and getting headaches, feel arthritis (only 35 yo!!) in my back, and my back and chest ate breaking out.

Like you I have recently fallen off of my usual healthy diet band-wagon because of the holidays. While my weight gain has been minimal (only 1.5lbs) I don’t feel as healthy as I did prior to all of the holiday cookies and fatty foods. My question is why have you elminated what seems to me to be some of the healthier things in my diet. I generally avoid fat and almost never cook with oil or butter, but dairy is a big part of my diet. For example, greek yogart and fat free half and half make my breakfast a little more enjoyable. Isn’t our general guiding principle to use everything in moderation? I understand your only doing the hyper-restricted diet for a couple of weeks, but won’t it be too difficult? Also, I have recently lost a lot of weight. Many of my friends who haven’t seen me since the holidays have begun to comment about my weight negatively. Most often I hear that I’ve lost too much, that I look unhealthy, sick, and even concern that I might have an eating disorder. That is not the case, and I certainly do not have an unhealthy diet. My BMI is 20 and my body fat percentage is around 19.5. How can my friends say I look unhealthy when I surely am not! As a person who has dealt with “thin stigma” how would you respond to those comments.

You can modify it however you like, so if you don’t have health inflammatory health problems and want to keep your dairy go for it. Just to clarify though, I’m a big fan of oil and butter (so long as it’s grass-fed). If you’d like more info about why, check out the “sugar is bad for you” link above (it also explains why saturated fat really isn’t), and the “other problems as well” link under dairy. If you’re looking unhealthy, maybe you should consider adding more fish, avocado, nuts and olive oil to your diet?

I believe the fasting cleansing is ‘autophagy’ or “self eating” as described by Jaminet on his perfecthealthdiet.com bloghttp://is.gd/QSJQFH

And I believe rice has gluten “Rice seems to have minimal gluten content. [x]” http://is.gd/1Czssv PDF (from http://is.gd/ySVbKq blog) and RobbWolf talks about ‘saponins’ in quinoa http://is.gd/W1IBdV but I do not know what Davis says about that so if you feel different then I would just soak them more or eliminate.

I’ve been on a great roll through the holidays already so I’m going to use the first two weeks of 2012 to keep the focus sharp and consistent and se the tone for the coming months. My goal is to be at the peak of health when the Mayan Apocalypse hits so I can go out in style ;)

Totally with you. I’m doing all of these (plus eliminating alcohol) for the full month. I am trying to figure out some health issues, too, in this whole recalibration. Time to start the new year off right!

I’m wondering if there is any way to test for inflammatory responses to food. As a non-scientist it seems to me that the body might produce elevated histamine levels or some other chemical reaction that could be measured. Is that the case? If so, wouldn’t such tests cut a lot of the guesswork out of elimination diets?

Hi Darya,
I’ve recently tried the blood type diet. I’m an A and have found huge benefits since starting. It’s not down to cutting wheat and dairy either cos I’d cut those previously. Just wondered if you’d tried it at all? I know they say there is no science basis for it but that’s rubbish, if people bother to look into it deeply there is! Also people putting it down probly haven’t tried it.
all best wishes,
(sorry for double post but thought it might be relevant here after I’d posted on your site)
x

I am also trying most of this. I recently cut out all cheese and yogurt, but what about 1% milk for cereals etc?

Also, stopped talking suger in my english tea, and I think I might take my coffee straight from now on too.

One question, what about whole wheats? I have been replacing white breads with whole wheat versions (like Oroweat) and whole grain cheerios as my low cal breakfast. Was that a mistake, and I just replacing one bad thing with another?

I honestly think cheese and yogurt are both healthier than straight up milk (the first for vitamin K2 and the second for probiotics). If you have time tonight to watch, this will clarify my position: http://summertomato.com/dairy-friend-or-foe/

Glad you made it out to the show! (Can you believe I touched a Coors Light? Eeewwww)

I think my wife and I will try this recalibration once we finish up with the leftovers from new years.

I do have a question about fruit. I love making smoothies for breakfast. I take 1 banana and some frozen fruit we buy at Whole Foods and blend it. We do not add any sugar or milk. We’ll throw a few splashes of OJ (not from concentrate) in to smooth things out.

Should i worry about doing this during the recalibration? I like doing this because i’m able to get my daily allowance of fruits fairly quickly and tasty.

It is kind of like a diet in that it is temporary, but the goal isn’t rapid weight loss which is why I chose a different word. Physicians refer to this sort of thing as an “elimination diet.” These are really helpful in solving food-related health problems. The idea is you cut out the biggest offenders and clear up your issues, then add them back slowly to see what is causing the problem.

Also, none of these are necessary “food groups.” I didn’t limit all grains, just wheat. And a good portion of the world goes without dairy, which is more of a Western thing. Modern dairy is also highly, highly processed and doesn’t really resemble how it is found in nature.

I agree with you about the cleanses. I got roped into doing one years ago and I suffered for months afterward just not feeling well. Never again.
About the coconut milk instead of cows milk. I recently have added coconut milk to my diet and because I seem to get heart palps every time I eat it, I looked it up and found out that it is highly inflammatory. I’d like to know your opinion of coconut milk and how healthy it actually is.

It did happen to me when I ate unsweetened coconut flakes too. Other foods also make me have palps. I’ve been trying to figure out exactly what foods or even if it IS related to the food I’ve eaten. It’s difficult since anxious thoughts do it too. Went to a heart specialist about it years ago and wore the H-monitor, had an ultrasound, found nothing wrong. Also had my hormones tested and all good there too except for already diagnosed hypothyroid. I am hypothyroid and have been for 14 years. Having heart palpitations for around 12 years.

I just ask cos recently started blood type diet and coconut should be avoided for most people according to the theory, altho I know a lot of people say it’s super healthy. Might be worth looking into as sounds like you are super sensitive and have reactions to many foods/stress/situations? Blood type diet also covers personality types/types of exercise suitable and other stuff that might be helpful. (I don’t make any money from sayin this, just having huge benefits from following it! :O))

Thanks, Deborah. I have all of Dr. D’s books and even have been genotyped and have my very own custom food list. I do try to stay in the parameters for my genotype but have been trying other things lately. I do find that he is right about just about everything that he says I shouldn’t eat!

Any tasty recommendations for breakfast, lunch and dinner that follow your recalibration rules? I’d love to try it out, but my food-related imagination is pretty severely limited. So are my cooking skills, but I imagine those will improve over time (or at least I hope…).

I’m in upstate New York, though, so no farmer’s market to speak of this time of year.

I’ll be eating a lot of eggs, oatmeal with nuts and fruit for breakfast, rice, quinoa and veggie dishes for lunch, and a good amount of fish, veggies, beans/lentils, soups, salads, etc. for dinner. This help?

Cody – you should try picking up an issue of “Clean Eating” magazine from your local Whole Foods or bookstore. Many recipes follow Darya’s recalibration points and general things she talks about on the blog, plus the recipes are tasty and help you try new foods and new ways to prepare old ones. I’ve subscribed for over a year and am a huge fan (not sure how Darya feels about it specifically, though).

I’m down. I usually have oatmeal with some brown sugar (to help get it down) for breakfast, but I’ll switch to muesli for two weeks. Will have to purchase that and some legumes (black beans?). Unfortunately I believe I will have to have some dairy (whey protein) but getting off wheat shouldn’t be a problem.

I’m just (kinda) getting over a cold (MN) so this will be a good post-cold diet.

Wow, that’s impressive! I admire your tenacity and will follow your progress. I consider myself an extremely healthy eater, but I could never give up cheese. I mean, I was born in Wisconsin, after all…it’s a birthright. Cheers!!

What are your thoughts on Hemp Milk? I’ve been drinking it for a few months and love the taste. It doesn’t seem to get as much attention as almond, rice, or soy milk though. Hemp or almond are the usual milks I drink now.

Have you ever tried almond cheese? It’s a bit of an acquired taste, but it’s not too bad.

Also, I’m a fan of raw almond or raw walnut/cashew butter. Yummy and very satisfying! One tablespoon as a snack does it for me (I can handle any “elimination diet” as long as I am not insanely hungry).

I am in! :)
I will have to give up my daily 2 squares of 85% cocoa chocolate that I have with my coffee at lunch (has some sugar in it) and my slice of bread with cheese and a glass of red vine that end all my diners (my idea of dessert). No more yogurt either. Do you have any link of fermented food? I’ll need these to replace the natural probiotics.
Two weeks, starting tomorrow. That’s going to be tough.

2 weeks really isn’t that bad. For probiotics I eat lots of sauerkraut and kimchi. Love them. If you look around you can usually find an artisan brand with lots of yummy varieties. Whole Foods is great for this.

I have recently considered cutting out sugar. I had surgery a few weeks back where my diet was significantly limited, once I returned to my normal eating habits, I noticed a serious difference in how my body reacted, usually in a bad and uncomfortable way. As a novice, how would you recommend cutting out sugar completely? Do you even eliminate most fruits? I’m seriously looking to help my body feel better when eating, as now I honestly don’t enjoy it anymore.

You really only need to eliminate processed foods and added sugar. Be careful when beginning to eat healthier though, most people aren’t used to the amount of chewing required of veggies and fruits, but if you don’t chew enough it can cause digestive problems. Easily solved by putting down your fork between bites and chewing thoroughly. Best of luck :)

Your “recalibration” program is going to be EASY for me! Since I am allergic to wheat/gluten and dairy, I already avoid it!! Although avoiding sugar is one hell of a difficult task for sure. And I had no idea that oats don’t contain gluten. Last time I remember eating GF oats (and it was a long time ago), I remember having symptoms still, so I think maybe it was the wheat all along and not just the gluten. Anyhow, this comment is more of a ramble, but I appreciate the thoughts you put in my head with this post. Thank you and Happy New Year!

I’m with you, from tomorrow through the end of January for me. For awhile now, I’ve been wanting to significantly decrease the amount of all three of these inflammatory substances in my diet, but have been too addicted to give it a try. This is the perfect opportunity to start.

It’s funny to read this: my plan exactly. I’m also eliminating coffee from the list, and NOT doing a mid-month “let’s just have one”…I know that once I do that, there’s no turning back. Oh, how I love my glass of wine…

Thanks for breaking it down into easy thinking…I’ll stay tuned and race you to the finish through the rest of the month.

And I’m hoping I can stick to the no dairy thing well beyond…lots of reasons. It’s just that I’ll miss it so much in my morning capuccino….

I love the idea of a one-month recalibration. They say that it takes 30 days to build a new habit and you never know, after the month is up you might be so accustomed to your new eating habits that you won’t want to go back to the way you ate before. Sometimes healthy eating can be addictive as our body starts to crave the good and the bad suddenly doesn’t seem to appealing.

Last February I gave myself a 30-day Challenge to eliminate meat from my diet and I fully intended to eat a hamburger at the end, but a funny thing happened….by Day 30, I was no longer craving meat and had no desire to eat that hamburger, haha. I haven’t gone back to eating meat since.

I have yet to eliminate all dairy and animal products from my diet, but I would say I eat a mostly plant-based diet, with occasional cheese or eggs sneaking their way in. I’m fine with that for now. Little changes are what it’s all about and it’s also important to adopt a healthy eating plan that’s long-term sustainable rather than a diet.

I also don’t drink milk, that’s one thing I gave up almost accidentally, and I LOVE almond milk and coconut milk.

When I’m craving something sweet, I usually have a green smoothie. Loaded with fruit to make it sweet, and also spinach to give me the greens I need, it has a ton of nutrients and tastes so good, without any added sugar. Oh and I also sneak the occasional piece of dark chocolate…I can’t be good all the time :)

Hey Daria, you say avoid alternative sweeteners and that they have never been good for weight loss. Is this true of stevia? I do love a few drops of it in my tea here and there. And also, what about xylitol or erythritol? Would absolutely love it if you responded with the research on the sweeteners and what you think about sweeteners when they are from healthy, clean, and well researched backgrounds like stevia?

I just saw this post, and I’m definitely into trying this out. In general, I understand what it means to cut out sugar, wheat, and dairy from your diet. But, what specifically constitutes ‘sugar’, aside from obviously sucrose, candy, and such. I see you’ve finished, so what you actually ate during this recalibration? (Sorry if you’ve answered this elsewhere. I swear I looked.)

I avoided any obvious desserts and anything with added sugar, including anything with honey, agave, etc. This means I was careful not to have, for example, regular soy milk rather than unsweetened. But I did eat fruit and even dried fruit.

I have been 95% compliant with this recalibration effort and lost 15 lbs since starting the no gluten, no sugar attempt. I still have inflammatory issues but I’m attributing that to the rapid weight loss and/or the gluten withdrawal process. If not I’ll drop the feta cheese, my last dairy hold out. Controlling blood sugar with slow carbs is working well for appetite suppression. I keep telling myself to stick with this until I get to my target weight and then I’ be free to cheat. I just may feel to good to do so. Thank you for doing what you do!

hi Darya,
This calibration is absolutely awesome…Following it( with my occasional dark chochlate binge) has gotten me healthier with absolutely no breakouts. I have a question regarding acne which is a little out of topic here. I remember you mentioned that before you changed your healthstyle you had acne problem. I was wondering how you treated your acne scars? Did you go to a dermatologist or did they vanish with time?
Thanks C

Great tips, Dara. We do something similar, by eating a veggie rich diet for a couple weeks right after the holidays (starting Jan. 8). We make a rich soup (we call detox soup) that feeds us during this time of detox. We use to do it pretty straight for 30 days, but it was just tough, so now it is two weeks. Definitely a great way to get rid of all of the holiday toxins. Plus, we feel great afterwards!

I’ve been reading your book and blog and am considering recalibration. I’m making a list of all the things I could possibly eat and experimenting with recipes before I take the leap. I’m looking at making my own corn tortillas with masa harina. What are your thoughts on cornmeal–is it as harmful as wheat?

Hi Darya, I’m almost at the end of my recalibration, and I feel amazing! Thanks for the tips! What do you recommend for integrating these, especially wheat, back in to your healthstyle? Just a few times a week? More? Less? I seem to be the type of person that gets bloated with too much wheat, but I never want to say I can NEVER have a food because I’ll immediately want to eat it of course! Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

I’m halfway through your book and I was wondering about recalibration: I live in the province of Quebec, we have no trader joes nor whole foods, so milk subs without sugar are hard to find. Was wondering if lactose-free milk was fine for recalibration?